Here at THE VINYL DISTRICTwe're good consumers. All Mp3's are posted to promote and give exposure to the music and are linked for a limited time. Please download to preview, then head promptly to your local vinyl vendor (or - OK, CD store too) and fork over your hard earned cash. You'll appreciate the piece of mind.

Got something you think we should be listening to or reading? thevinyldistrict (at) gmail.com

Thursday, January 15, 2009

I might need to reconsider a facet of my less than glowing remarks in regard to Animal Collective's 'Merriwether Post Pavilion' earlier in the week. I think it fails in another regard which I initially thought might be one of the release's few positives: the production.

Uploading today's Replacements tracks from the seminal LP 'Tim', I was thinking, "Man, these tracks are CLASSIC." Pushing that thought further down the road, I was also struck by the casualness of the proceedings and production. I have no idea how many times the band ran through these numbers before landing on the performances that would be deemed worthy of the release, but the vibe is loose, nothing's compressed, mistakes are retained and not edited, there's no 'loudness' dilemma...just a band blasting through actual SONGS. Refreshing, right?

Now, there may be a song or even a melody under all of the AC klap-trap, but the production's served up with one seriously heavy hand. There's no place to breathe in these tracks which is ...odd. It's overly fussy and claustrophobic which removes the proverbial 'soul' from the release. The thing just don't swing...and oddly, 'Tim' does...even in the raucous tracks.

The beauty of meticulous production is providing a clear sonic platform for the SONGS and their individual components. (See the Trevor Horn entry from last year's Top Five Producers Ever List, for edification.) Oddly, AC's MPP cover NAILS its production aesthetic. (Ow. My eyes.)

1 comment:

Alternate Side
said...

The first time I saw the Replacements play live was the summer of 1983, underage (in those days if you were a girl you could get in anywhere), sharing the bill with REM, for $4, at some New Jersey dive. It's one of my top 5 live shows ever. With Tommy (Ramone) Erdelyi producing, I agree, it's no wonder Tim has such a spontaneous, genuine feel. Take a band with good songs that can really play, give 'em a little room to roam, polish judiciously, and you've got a gem!

Your site is aces all around. Thanks for sharing so much fantastic music!